Tulane Outbreak Daily | May 28, 2020

‘It’s Too Late’: In Sprawling Indonesia, Coronavirus Surges – NYT

A random sampling of thousands found that one in 10 had antibodies for the coronavirus, an alarming glimpse at what could be runaway transmission.

Brazil Counts Almost Twice As Many Daily Covid-19 Deaths As The U.S. – Forbes

Brazil reported nearly twice as many new Covid-19 deaths as the U.S. in the previous 24 hours Tuesday, a menacing marker as the country emerges as the world’s new epicenter for the virus. [Related video from CNN]

New Paper Finds Startling Number Of Asymptomatic Covid-19 Carriers – Forbes

Some of the most fascinating data in the Covid-19 pandemic have been produced by small, naturalistic experiments—from “sealed” environments (cruise ships) to subgroups of the population who had routine testing way before it was widely available (women checking into hospitals to give birth). These studies have shown lower death rates than previously thought and a relatively high rate of asymptomatic carriers. [Related Study]

Coronavirus Epidemics Began Later Than Believed, Study Concludes – New York Times

In Washington State and Italy, the first confirmed cases were not linked to the outbreaks that followed, the analysis found. The epidemics were seeded later. [Related pre-print paper]

Clinical Considerations

Neurological complications of COVID-19: What is known so far? – Medical News

Researchers at the São Leopoldo Mandic School of Medicine in Brazil have presented a review of the current data available on the neurological effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-9). Paulo Mei and Laura Loeb hope their review will help researchers understand what is known so far about the link between infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the incidence of neurological conditions. [Related pre-print paper]

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Provides New Tool to Aid Development and Evaluation of Diagnostic Tests That Detect SARS-CoV-2 Infection – FDA

Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took a new step to support the agency’s evaluation of diagnostic tests for COVID-19, by providing a SARS-CoV-2 reference panel. Reference panels are an additional step to ensure the quality of the tests, validation of new assays, test calibration, and monitoring of assay performance. Nucleic acid tests identify infection by confirming the presence of a virus’ genetic material (RNA) and the FDA-supplied reference panel provides developers access to this material. The FDA’s reference panel is an independent performance validation step for diagnostic tests of SARS-CoV-2 infection that are being used for clinical, not research, purposes. The FDA panel is available to commercial and laboratory developers who are interacting with the FDA through the pre-emergency use authorization (EUA) process.

Less Nasal ACE2 May Explain Fewer COVID-19 Cases in Children – Contagion

A new study found that children have less angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in nasal epithelium than older populations, which might confer some protection against SARS-CoV-2 entering cells at this vulnerable site for infection and transmission, and explain their lower incidence of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). [Related Study]

Study Undercuts ARDS ‘Phenotypes’ in COVID-19 – MedPageToday

Lung compliance often doesn’t correlate with radiographic findings.A proposed division of COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) into two types requiring different ventilation approaches found no support from a proof-of-concept study. The division proposes two subphenotypes of COVID-19 pneumonia based on lung physiology and radiographic findings: Typical cases, dubbed “H type,” with high elastance, high shunt, and high lung weight that may benefit from lower tidal volumes and higher positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) Atypical “L type” ARDS with low elastance, low shunt, and low lung weight that might be better treated by higher tidal volumes and lower PEEP [Related Study]

Guillain-Barré syndrome related to SARS-CoV-2 infection – Neurology Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) led to the death of thousands of people around the world.1 Neurologic manifestations are not much specific apart from acute anosmia, and postinfectious manifestation data are missing.2 We described the cases of 2 patients exhibiting demyelinating form of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and summarized neurologic manifestations and investigations results.

Blood clots fill lungs of black coronavirus victims, study finds – CNN

Careful autopsies of 10 African-American victims of coronavirus show their lungs were clogged with blood clots, researchers reported Wednesday.
All 10 patients had underlying conditions that have been shown to worsen infection, including high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. But genetic factors could also be at play, the team at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine said. [Related Study]

Clues to COVID-19 in the brain uncovered in new study – Science Daily

A study reviewing neuroimaging and neurological symptoms in patients with COVID-19 may shed light on the virus’s impact on the central nervous system. [Related Study]

New data show low rates of COVID-19 in pregnant women – CIDRAP

A research letter published yesterday in JAMA revealed a 3.9% prevalence of COVID-19 among women giving birth at three Yale New Haven hospitals in Connecticut. [Related Study] [Another Study]

Official Reporting for May 28, 2020

WHO SITREP #128 ECDC Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases 5,488,825 5,656,615 5,746,086
Deaths 349,095 355,355 357,377

 

NEW:
Total cases: 1,678,843
Total deaths: 99,031
(Numbers close out at 4 p.m. the day before reporting.)

Surveillance Headlines

USA

USA: Sewage Could Become Next Virus Surveillance Method, EPA Says – Bloomberg Law

Colorado: Confirms 1,135 deaths due to COVID-19 as positive cases near 25,000 – Denver Post

Louisiana:13 Louisiana children have developed illness tied to virus – WWLTV

Texas: Official Confirms More Than 200 COVID-19 Cases at North Texas Meat Plant – Local News

Tennessee: Dozens of workers test positive for COVID-19 at Chattanooga poultry plants – Local News

Virginia: At least 317 cases of COVID-19 identified among Shenandoah Valley poultry workers – Local News

ASIA

South Korea: New Virus Cases Double, Biggest Spike in 53 Days – Bloomberg

MEXICO

SOUTH AMERICA

EUROPE

ASIA

 


Science and Tech

Accepting Airborne Transmission of SARS-COV-2: Our Greatest Fear and Greatest Opportunity – Engineered Systems

As we move into summer, many unanswered questions about the COVID-19 pandemic remain. Who gets sick and why? What are the routes of transmission, and how do we stay safe? What activities can we return to and when?

Droplets created by speech could contribute to COVID-19 spread, new study suggests – Physics World

Droplet clouds emitted during 1 min of loud speech by an individual infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus could contain more than 1000 virus particles – according to new calculations done by scientists in the US. This work, alongside observations that these speech-generated droplet clouds persist in a confined space for 8-14 min, supports suspicions that COVID-19 may be transmitted when infected individuals speak. [Related Study/NEJM] [Related Study/PNAS]

 

Antivirals

Israeli scientists say Gaucher’s disease drugs may help treat Covid-19 – Pharmaceutical Technology

Scientists from the Israeli Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) claim that analogues of two drugs used for the treatment of Gaucher’s disease could be effective against Covid-19.

The long-awaited awaited remdesivir trial – FLARE Team

With millions of cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection and nearly 350,000 deaths worldwide due to COVID-19 to date, the need for specific antiviral therapies is imperative. Multiple repurposed or newly developed antiviral treatments have been proposed. Many treatments for COVID-19 have been described in case series and retrospective cohort studies (May 8 FLARE), but few have been tested in a randomized controlled trial (May 11 FLARE). In tonight’s FLARE, we review the publication of the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial-1 (ACTT-1), an RCT that resulted in the emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for remdesivir (Beigel et al. 2020).

Vaccine

COVID-19 Vaccine Developers Search for Antibodies That ‘First Do No Harm’ – Scientific American

Biotechs and pharma want to protect patients without triggering immune system havoc


Infection Prevention

What’s the Risk of Catching Coronavirus From a Surface? – NYT

Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen.

How to Safely Travel on Mass Transit During Coronavirus – Bloomberg

As lockdowns start to ease, trains, buses and planes are becoming an even greater focus of anxiety, with larger numbers of people considering when and how to resume travel. Larger crowds could pose a greater risk to both essential workers who may have been using transit all along, and the others who may start to join them. What factors most affect your risk of catching Covid-19 while using mass transit? CityLab talked to several experts about both the dangers and necessary precautions.

Even at the Clinic, COVID-19 Could Be in the Air – Med Page Today

Airborne aerosols were generated during speech, sneezing, and during nasal endoscopy procedures in an otolaryngology clinic, reinforcing the importance of universal source control during the COVID-19 epidemic, researchers found. [Related Study]

 


Published Research

Visualizing Speech-Generated Oral Fluid Droplets with Laser Light Scattering – NEJM

The airborne lifetime of small speech droplets and their potential importance in SARS-CoV-2 transmission – PNAS

Universal Screening for SARS-CoV-2 in Women Admitted for Delivery – NEJM

Nasal Gene Expression of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 in Children and Adults – JAMA

Airborne Aerosol Generation During Endonasal Procedures in the Era of COVID-19: Risks and Recommendations – SagePubs

Subphenotyping ARDS in COVID-19 Patients: Consequences for Ventilator Management – Annals of the American Thoracic Society

Pulmonary and cardiac pathology in African American patients with COVID-19: an autopsy series from New Orleans – The Lancet

Hospitalization and Mortality among Black Patients and White Patients with Covid-19 – NEJM

Pulmonary and cardiac pathology in African American patients with COVID-19: an autopsy series from New Orleans – The Lancet

Imaging in Neurological Disease of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: An Italian Multicenter Retrospective Observational Study – Radiology

Viral Load Dynamics in Patients Infected with SARS-CoV-2 – NEJM Journal Watch

Pre-Pub (not yet peer reviewed, should not be regarded as conclusive)

COVID-19: A Chronological Review of the Neurological Repercussions – What do We Know by May, 2020? – MedRXiv


Coping in Quarantine

How To Make A Mini-Zine About Life During The Pandemic – NPR

Have you ever wondered how to make your own magazine about life during the pandemic? No? Well, maybe you should consider it — and we’re here to show you how. All you need is a sheet of paper and a pen. Read the comic for directions on how to fold and what to write in your zine. Then share it with the Life Kit team on social media.

Stories from the Trauma Bay: COVID-19 Mythbusting

This is an interesting read, but I prefered the sweary version to the clean version. The occasional F bombs put emphasis in the right context. Sometimes sweary words used in the right amount can be like glitter. Just enough makes it sparkle.

10 Ways to Boost Your Odds of Surviving COVID-19 – Psycghology Today

This is also an interesting read!